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Aruba Airwave vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Airwave
Ranking in Network Management Applications
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco DNA Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (19th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 8.2%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 29.8%, up from 27.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 23, 2023
The solution has multi-vendor support, and it can be used for network management
We use Aruba Airwave for network management. Regardless of your product's brand, you can manage everything together in a similar place using Aruba Airwave The most valuable feature of Aruba Airwave is the multivendor support, which enables you to manage and monitor different vendors or products.…
AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 12, 2024
Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"This solution is definitely stable."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Airwave is the multivendor support, which enables you to manage and monitor different vendors or products."
"AirWave definitely helps us troubleshoot and get to the root cause of the issues. It gives you an excellent indication of what's going on within your network at different locations. You can get to the area, take a look at the AirWave analysis, and make informed decisions."
"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."
"It contains valuable features for engineers to C-level executives, who want visibility, performance, statistics, and a platform which can take action for them without manual intervention, saving time and money.​​"
"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard.​"
"I would rate the stability a nine out of ten."
"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration."
"Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."
"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."
"It is a stable solution."
"The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."
"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."
"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."
"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."
 

Cons

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"They should make it cheaper. By doing that, they can replace Cisco, which is also very expensive. If it is equivalent to Cisco in the features, with a reduced price, they can sell it more than Cisco."
"The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."
"The overall monitoring of this solution could be improved."
"The main challenge we've faced with Aruba Airwave is its high cost, especially regarding high availability and failover licenses, which can be relatively expensive for customers. As for recommendations for improvement, considering that Aruba is planning to retire Airwave soon and introduce a new solution, it's crucial that the new product meets or exceeds the current Airwave's feature set. Customers expect a seamless transition without losing any functionality, so Aruba needs to ensure that the new solution is ready with all the essential features and capabilities from day one to avoid any gaps or dissatisfaction among users and partners."
"I would try to integrate more products from different vendors in future releases. Because that's really good features that Aruba Airway has, but it's so limited."
"We sometimes have problems with troubleshooting between the GUI and the CLI manipulation."
"The product has many features that do not work properly."
"As a user, it would be good if I could plug in controllers, suites, and devices from other vendors to Cisco DNA Center."
"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."
"There should be an option for automation of template deployment by using the stored data. It is not easy to save configuration information for lots of devices without using other tools. There should be a tighter, better repository of information that can be merged with the templates."
"They can improve the network visibility. Licensing and its maintenance are also needed."
"The solution's setup process needs enhancement."
"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."
"The solution's technical support is an area with which my company's clients have a problem. Cisco doesn't provide good technical support unless a user has a big account that Cisco wants to retain."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."
"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."
"The licensing is on an yearly basis."
"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."
"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."
"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."
"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."
"The product is very costly."
"Affordability is a problem because it's created for large enterprises only. So, some customers, even if their engineers want the solution, might have problems with budget limitations."
"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."
"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."
"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
"The solution is expensive."
"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
20%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?
The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six.
What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?
The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required. The product's scalability can be improved.
What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?
I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process. The time required for downloading and installing packages during upgrades is too long, often taking around ten hours. This is a significant i...
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.